Fluid controlling valve



June 9, 1942. R. F. HEINEMANN 2,285,655

FLUID CONTROLLING VALVE Filed Jan. 2, 1941 FIE-Z; 3 F155.

T TORNE'K Patented June 9, 1942 1 FLUID CONTROLLING VALVE Richard F. Heinemann, Oakland, Calif., assignor to Victor Equipment Company, San Francisco,

Calif.

Application January 2, 1941, Serial No. 372,872

2 Claims.

This invention relates to valves to control the flow of fluids, and particularly to the so-called push button type of valve wherein a normally spring closed valve is opened by a push or pressure upon a knob or push button.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a spring closed push button type of valve particularly suited to an aviators requirements for controlling emergency supply of oxygen at high altitudes, and which valve may be quickly opened by the pressure of the thumb or finger upon its push button, and as quickly closed by thumb or finger upon a second push button, Without the requirement of looking .at the valve or manipulating it or its parts in any way except the simple application of finger pressure to one button or the other.

Other objects of the invention are simplicity of construction and reliability of action at all times in a valve of this kind.

A further feature is the use of two different size push buttons respectively for opening and closing the valve so that a touch of either of them by the hand will at once indicate its function.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description and accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a side elevation of my improved push button valve shown full size as used for aviators emergency oxygen supply.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical central cross sec tion of the valve showing all of its parts and with the valve closed by its spring.

Fig, 3 is a portion of the upper end of Fig. 2 with some parts shown in full and others broken away, to show the relation of the two push but tons when the valve is locked in open position.

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the valve of Fig. 2 as seen from the line 4-4 thereof;

Figs. 5 and 6 are detached views of the valve opening push button and its stem, drawn to a smaller scale than in Fig. 2, and shown at right angles to one another.

Figs. 7 and 8 are detached views of the locking push button stem, shown at right angles to one another, and drawn to the same scale as Figs. 5 and 6.

Fig, 9 is bottom view of the push button which screws onto the stem shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

Briefly described, my improved push button valve comprises a valve body I ported as at 2 and 3 for the passage of a fluid into one end of the valve 4 and out of the other end 5 (the presout arrangement being shown for an angle valve), while within port 2 is formed an annular rim 6 to provide a valve seat normally closed off by a valve disk 1, carried on a valve member 8 slidably positioned in an enlargement 2' of port 2, and normally urged toward the valve seat 6 by a compression spring 9 which reacts against a threaded plug l0, screwed in the lower end of the passage 2. The plug is itself through-ported at H to form an inlet for the fluid to be controlled, and it is also provided with a screwdriver slot I2 for unscrewing the plug when necessary to renew the valve disk I. The outer periphery of valve member 8 is serrated or fluted as shown at l3 in Fig. 4 for passage of the liquid when the valve disk is moved away from its seat by forcing the valve member 8 downward to compress the spring 9. The ends 4 and 5 of the valve are, for illustrative purposes only, shown as male and female threaded ends for connecting respectively to any desired fluid lines, or to a gas pressure reducing regulator for liberating gas through the outlet 5 to an aviators oxygen respiratory apparatus not shown.

In order to manually depress valve member 8 it is provided with a short upward projection in the form of a short stem I4 spaced within bore 2 and aligned above which is a continuing stem I5, normally spaced from the end of stem l4, and which stem I5 is slidably arranged within bore 2 and projects above the body, and is provided at its outer end with a flat disk I6, forming a push button for the manual depressing of the stem l5 to thereby contact stem 14 and force the valve to open position. In the present showing, the push button I6 is screwed to the upper end of th stem, though it may be attached in any desired manner thereto, or it may be formed integrally therewith.

At the upper end of the valve body I is a separable portion l'l shown screwed in place as at l8, and which is provided with an inwardly extending flange l9 which compresses packing material 20 into a stufllng box recess formed around stem l5 to keep the latter tight and yet permit longitudinal sliding movement of the stem within the bore 2. It is also desirable to place a soft compressible packing disk 2| between the confronting margins of member I and the separable portion l'l, more to prevent the accumulation of dirt in the slight space there provided than anything else.

Member I! is provided with a recessed upper end at 22, into which push button l'6 slides and normally projects somewhat above its upper edge as indicated in the drawing, and within the recess is a compression spring 23 which normally urges the push button outward to withdraw stem 15 from contact with stem M.

The stem 15 is notched on opposite sides as shown at 24 in Figs. and 6 to form a flattened central web portion 25, and which web portion is notched as shown at 26, for cooperation with a locking pin or rod about to be described.

Passing transversely through member ll in alignment with stem [5 is a rod 27 which is slidably fitted within a bore so that the rod 21 may be moved back and forth transversely of the valve body, and to the outer end of this rod is a head or push button 28, here shown as threaded to the end of the rod 21, though it is to be understood that it may be secured thereto in any other desired manner. The form of this rod 21 is best shown in Figs. '7 and 8, and fromwhich it will be seen to be centrally slotted at 29 to pass'on both sides of web 25 of stem 15, and it is likewise notched as at 35) and provided with a lug 3! formed by the inner end of slot 29, and which lug is adapted to enter notch 26 of push button stem I5 when its push button is depressed and the valve is open, so that the entry of lug 3! into notch 26 will lock the stem iii in depressed position with the valve open.

Rod 21 is normally urged into such locking position by means of a compression spring 32 which surrounds reduced end 2'! and bears against a shoulder formed by an enlarged portion 33 of the bore 33 in which rod 21 is slidable.

In order to prevent the accidental unscrewing of push button 23 from its threaded connection to rod 27, the button is provided with a neckor hub 28', which is flattened on one side as shown at 34, and which flattened side is turned to face directly downward when the parts are assembled, and after which a split spring wire ring 35 is sprung into a groove surrounding member I! so that it will come closely adjacent the flattened portion 34 of button 23 and thus preventit from being unscrewed until the split spring wire ring 35 is pried out.

In operation, and with the valve in closed position, push button It will be urged to its uppermost limit by its spring 23 and push button 28 will be in position as shown in Fig. 2, with its lug 3i stopped against a portion of web 25. 'Upon pressing the push button 16 downwardly its stem i5 will also move downwardly to separate the valve disk "I from its seat 6, and instantly locking rod 2?, under pressure of its spring 32, will move to the right (in Fig. 2) and its locking lug 3| will enter notch 25 to the position shown in Fig. 3, and thereby lock the valve in open position. From open position shown in Fig. 3 a pressure upon the smaller push button 23 will release the locking lug and permit the main or larger push button It to fly out again and consequently also permit the valve to snap closed under the action of its spring 9,

By the provision of these two push buttons of diiferent size, a person wishing to control the valve need not even see the device, for by feel feel.

alone he will know that pressure upon the large push button will open the valve and it will stay locked open until a pressure upon the smaller push button will permit it to snap closed. The upper push button is shown here as formed with concentric grooves 31 to additionally give notice to the touching fingers of the operator by its roughness due to the grooves, and he will know that it is the opening button. Thus the buttons distinguish from one another both by the difference in size and their diiference in surface This is important in connection with this particular type of valve, for the reason that its main object is for use as an emergency oxygen valve for aviators at high altitudes and where instant response must be had, and without the necessity of the aviator turning to look at the device, or perhaps under conditions of darkness where he'could not see it.

Having thus described my improved push button type of valve and its mode of operation, what I claim is:

1. In a fluid controlling valve having a fluid ported body with a valve seat in said port'and a spring closedvalve member urged against said seat, a reciprocable stem extending from a bore in said body aligned with said valve member for opening the valve when pushed inwardly, said stem formed with a push button at its outer end accessible for pushing upon by a persons finger for opening the valve, a reciprocable rod projecting from a bore in said body and formed with a push button at its outer end, said rod arranged in crossing relation to said stem and said stem formed with a flattened portion, and the rod formed with a slot embracing opposite sides of said flattened portion, andlocking lug and notch means formed on the stem and rod respectively for interlocking in holding the valve in opened position, and spring means urging said rod to- Ward stem locking position.

2. In a fluid controlling valve having a fluid ported body with a' valve seatin said port and a spring closed valve member urged against said seat, a reciprocable stem extending from a bore in said body aligned with said valve member for opening the valve when pushed inwardly, said stem formed with a push buttonat its outer end accessible for pushing upon by'a persons finger for opening the valve, 2. reciprocable rod projecting from a bore in said body and formed with a push button at its outer end, said rod arranged in crossing relation'to said stein and said stem formed with a flattened portion, and the rod formed with a slot embracing said fiattened portion, and locking lug and notch means formed on the stern and rod respectively for interlocking in holding the valve in opened position, and spring means urging said rod toward stem locking position, the push button at the end of the rod being formed with a neck threaded onto the end of the rod and said neck flattened at one side, and a spring wire split ring'encircling a groove around the valve body close to 'the flattened part of the neck to prevent the push button from unscrewing.

RICHARD F. HEINEMANN. 

